On an episode of his podcast “Hall of Fame,” Booker T discussed the leg injury Adam Copeland suffered during a match where he was defending the TNT Title against Malakai Black at AEW Double Or Nothing 2024.
Here are some key points from the podcast:
Commenting on Adam Copeland’s leg break, Booker T said, “I was watching the match and I remember asking myself, ‘Why?’ It isn’t easy for your body to take such a beating like when you are in your 20s. Think of your body like you would think of alcohol tolerance. You can be drinking every day when you are 19 or 20 but as you enter in your 30s, 40s and 50s, it starts to affect you differently. At some point, your body, just like your kidneys from constant drinking, will give out. I likened Copeland’s body at that moment to a man’s fight against time. Regardless of how healthy you feel, injuries can strike. In Copeland’s case, the injury could potentially be career-ending. As painful as it seemed, the true repercussions will only be known after his surgery.”
Booker T referring to how the injury occurred said, “Sometimes, it’s like getting into a car accident. You may feel alright when you initially go home, only to experience severe pains the next morning. It’s the same with wrestling, taking a heavy fall can have your body experience trauma from the impact. But it doesn’t stop at a fractured leg, it can have other consequences, based on my experiences with falls and car accidents. Seeing the fall as I did, there was no correct maneuvering of his body while taking the fall, like jumping feet first into a pool… It was a poor decision and I’m sure in retrospect, he would have thought twice before doing that.”
Booker T opined on whether or not the move was necessary, “Certain actions are simply not required. Nonetheless, when you are trying to prove your grit and resilience to your colleagues, especially the young ones, it can lead to decisions like this. Possibly, this is what led Copeland to take such a risk. Personally, I see strong leadership qualities in him. He is very much the kind of guy who would say ‘Lead by example.’ I try to follow the same principle specifically when I step into the ring at Reality of Wrestling. There was this one time where I toyed with the thought of jumping over to the top rope and the video of it captured people’s attention. However, such stunts often come with risks, and possibly trying to impress the young wrestlers led Copeland to that decision.”